New Detroit Tigers manager: Dusty Baker, Eric Wedge, even Lloyd McClendon may be in mix

Oct. 22, 2013

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Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

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Lloyd McClendon, right, pictured with Gene Lamont, center, and Jim Leyland, could be an in-house candidate to take over as manager. / Special to the Free Press

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For Dave Dombrowski and the Tigers, there’s at least one distinctive candidate available in many departments of the managerial superstore.

■ The experienced manager in-house: Lloyd McClendon, 54, who has been a coach with the Tigers for all eight years of Jim Leyland’s tenure, the last seven as hitting coach.

McClendon managed the Pirates in 2001-05. He learned from that experience, and he learned by watching Leyland manage the last eight years.

Unlike anyone from the outside, McClendon already has a thorough knowledge of the Tigers, and the players know him. Were he to be hired, Triple-A hitting coach Leon Durham could succeed McClendon as hitting coach, and the immensely successful Jeff Jones seemingly would remain as pitching coach.

■ The senior eminence: Dusty Baker, 64, who was recently fired as manager of the Reds despite having led them to the playoffs in three of the last four years. The Reds didn’t finish strong this season, and that played a part in Baker’s dismissal. Baker also managed playoff entrants with the Giants, with whom he was three times named the National League manager of the year, and the Cubs.

Baker has plenty of experience dealing with the kinds of stars on the Tigers. He has managed Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., Jeff Kent and — for 10 years in San Francisco — Barry Bonds.

Baker expressed interest in the Tigers’ managerial opening.

“I’ve always respected Dave Dombrowski and what Dave has accomplished,” Baker said in a telephone interview. “I have the ultimate respect and friendship for Jim Leyland. I’d be flattered and honored to be given such an opportunity.”

■ The manager in his prime: Eric Wedge, 45, who has managed in the American League for 10 of the last 11 years: seven with Cleveland, and the last three with Seattle. He resigned after this season because he wanted the Mariners on a faster track toward winning than he sensed club management preferred.

The Tigers, by contrast, are in win-now mode, and they can’t afford to lose games next year because a first-time manager is learning on the job.

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“If the Tigers have interest in me, I would love the opportunity,” Wedge said via telephone.

■ The manager-to-be: Torey Lovullo, 48, who managed nine years in the minors and has been a coach for three years in the majors, including an eye-catching performance as bench coach this year for the Red Sox. Lovullo played for the Tigers in 1988-89, long before Dombrowski arrived in Detroit.

■ The Mike Matheny-style candidate: Brad Ausmus, 44, who played three years for the pre-Dombrowski Tigers in his 18-year career as a big-league catcher. Ausmus is a special assistant with the San Diego Padres.

Dombrowski on Monday gave one hint of whom he’ll consider to succeed Leyland: someone who has managed in either the minors or majors. Ausmus has done neither. But Ausmus need point only to the Cardinals, who as the defending world champions two years ago replaced the just-retired Tony La Russa with Matheny, who like Ausmus was an immensely respected former catcher who had never managed.

In Matheny’s first season, the Cardinals missed the World Series by a game; in his second, they have reached it.

It doesn’t seem that Kirk Gibson is available in the superstore. Arizona recently re-hired him as its manager for next year. It is believed Gibson and Dombrowski don’t have the warmest of relationships, in part because Dombrowski fired Alan Trammell as manager (and Gibson as one of his coaches) after the 2005 season. Further, Arizona doesn’t seem interested in letting Gibson out of his contract for any reason.

Dombrowski, who is about to hire his third full-time manager since he became the Tigers’ general manager, might seriously consider none or all of the above names. He gave no indication Monday of who’s on his list. His comments left open just about any possibility.